Walmart, which has a number of super centers in the Chattanooga area, announced Thursday that it is raising the pay for store associates.
Walmart officials said, "Our critics have had a lot to say about the quality of the jobs we offer but Walmart has long been a place where people can start in an entry-level position and build a career. Today, we have strengthened our company’s commitment to associate opportunity and announced a comprehensive series of initiatives to help associates earn higher pay and advance their careers based on the skills they learn and the customer service they provide.
"As part of this commitment to opportunity, we will increase current U.S.
associates wages to $10 an hour by early 2016. We will begin this process in April by raising the starting pay rate in all of our markets to $9 an hour, which will result in raises for 500,000 associates early this year. The complete initiatives include:
· Pay - Walmart is making meaningful changes to its pay structure and will raise its current U.S. associates wages to $10 an hour or higher by early next year. In addition, Walmart is raising the floor and ceiling of its in-store pay bands (the compensation range the company pays for each position) in most stores and is providing raises to associates earning at the maximum of their pay band. As a result, approximately 500,000 associates will receive a raise from these changes in the first half of 2015.
· Opportunity – The company is piloting an onboarding and training program that will create clear career paths for associates so they know what is expected of them in order to move from entry level positions to jobs with more responsibility that pay $15 an hour or more.
· More choices in scheduling – Walmart is working to provide associates with more control over and ownership of their schedules, including more predictability for associates who want it and flexibility for those who need it. Starting in 2016, Walmart will be one of the first retailers to offer some associates fixed schedules each week.
· Benefits - Walmart will continue to provide access to health care, paid sick leave, educational opportunities and a 401(k).
"In addition to the changes with Walmart’s workforce, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will commit $100 million over five years to help fund programs designed to create career paths in retail and related industries (e.g. logistics, hospitality, wholesale) and train thousands of workers outside of the company.
"While some of these programs are ready to roll out to associates, some are still in a pilot phase and will be modified based on associate feedback. We expect to implement most of these programs broadly over the next year. Our goal is that there will be no better place in retail to learn, grow, and build a career than Walmart."